Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [664]
“Excuse me?”
She stared at Christine, stunned and trying to decide if she was joking. It wasn’t that long ago, a year maybe, that Maggie had called Nick’s apartment. A woman had answered, offering to take a message and explaining that Nick was in the shower. Maggie still remembered the sting, but accepted that he had decided to move on and not wait for her.
“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t even be telling you.” Christine sounded sincere. “I know he’d kill me if he knew I’d said anything, but he was pretty hurt when you dumped him.” Then she smiled just a little. “I don’t think he’s ever been dumped before.”
“Dumped?” Maggie tried to keep her voice down, though she could see Pakula’s head jerk in their direction. “He dumped me.”
“That’s not the way he tells it,” Christine said, but another smile told Maggie that perhaps Christine knew better. “I suppose we should join the others.”
She didn’t want to think about Nick Morrelli. This morning’s surprise meeting had actually gone well for her. She hadn’t found herself regretting or longing for or…anything. She hadn’t really felt anything. And that was despite what Pakula had interpreted as some grudge that Nick seemed to be holding, which now made sense if he believed she had dumped him. Of course, her mind had been a million miles away, focusing on Keller and his arrival. Learning that she had been wrong about Nick and that he didn’t even know why she had avoided his phone calls or why she’d allowed them to drift away shouldn’t make a difference after this long.
Before Maggie could consider whether or not it mattered, Christine leaned over and added in an almost conciliatory tone, “Don’t worry. He’ll get over it. He’d better. He’s getting married in a month.”
CHAPTER 60
Saint Francis Center
Omaha, Nebraska
Tommy Pakula swallowed one of the miniature sandwiches and just as quickly popped another into his mouth, gulping down the rest of his coffee before the second sandwich had cleared his throat. It was a nervous habit for him to snarf down food whenever he felt control slipping from his grip, and he was feeling it with this case, big-time.
“Not bad,” he said, referring to the food and nodding at Brenda Donovan who continued to stare at him over the mug of coffee she was sipping. Her son didn’t seem to notice that anyone else was in the room. At least he hadn’t acknowledged anyone else after the muttered hello during the intros. Now he stuffed food into his mouth without looking up.
Christine Hamilton offered the other easy chair to O’Dell, then pulled up a hardback chair to the edge of the small little circle so that she could sit between the law enforcement officials and the Donovans. Pakula had already guessed they were the victims.
He had to give Hamilton credit. She didn’t just want to make her statement, she wanted to drive it home with a tug at the heartstrings or perhaps with something she hoped would shock them. What she didn’t realize was that Pakula had seen and heard it all, the worst of the worst, from a newborn crack baby left floating in the toilet of a Gas ’n Shop to a domestic dispute where a husband had used a nail gun to crucify his wife to their living-room wall.
“Every time I’ve talked to Detective Sassco,” Hamilton began, “he’s insisted I back up the allegations I was making, despite my journalistic right to conceal my sources. Mark and his mother are very brave to be here today, but they wanted me to reiterate that this in no way implies they are willing to file an official police report.”
Pakula watched Mark the entire time. The young man hadn’t looked up from his food yet. He stopped once but only to take a sip of his Coke. Suddenly Pakula realized Hamilton was staring at him, waiting for his agreement to the terms.
“That’s fine.” He nodded at Hamilton then glanced at O’Dell, but she seemed to be somewhere else, probably trying to figure out what to do with Keller.
“Brenda,” Hamilton